“Okay,” I replied, brushing off the suggestion.
That night’s shift ended up being the best I’d had in a while, which kind of irritated me because I knew why. I wasn’t comfortable wearing revealing clothing or pretending to be interested in some random guy’s weird kinks. I was cripplingly introverted, and all these clothes did was throw me into a world I wasn’t ready for.
Walking around homeless encampments with three hundred dollars in tips in my pockets at two in the morning had me looking over my shoulders every few seconds. My normal clothes were still damp, balled up in a plastic bag, which made the walk home even more unnerving. As much as I hated the city, it did have a bit of beauty to it, especially when countless skyscraper windows reflected in the mirror-like puddles from the rain earlier.
My watch read two thirty, but it sure didn’t feel like it. I couldn’t recall the last time I had so much energy after work, and I wasn’t even in a particularly good mood.
“Hey! It’s Dakoootah!”
I shuddered. Was this anotherhappy coincidence, or had he been trailing me?
“Go away,” I said, turning to glare at the half-clothed werewolf leaning against a brick alley wall with his arms crossed. Hishood was up, and an unnerving shadow covered most of his face. The only features I could make out were two blood-orange dots leering from the darkness. “I thought I made it clear I’m not interested.”
He emerged from the alleyway holding my umbrella in his giant hand, the streetlights giving form to his wolfy face. “Well, okay then. If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”
“Gimme that.” I snatched the umbrella away. “You could have said something before I got off the bus.”
“I thought I did. I said a couple things, if I remember.”
“You’re fucking disgusting.” I turned and walked away from him, but his wet footsteps followed me.
“Hey,” Roscoe called out, catching my arm, the sudden movement freaking me out more. He let go and shoved both hands into the pockets of his hoodie as if fishing for something. “Aw shit. What the hell did I spend it on?” He scratched behind his ears. “Well, I was gonna give you yer money back, but… it’s the thought that counts, right?”
I rolled my eyes and resumed walking home, but Roscoe kept following close.
“Shiiiit. You look real hot in that.”
“Dude, no.” I didn’t turn around this time. “I don’t know how to make this any clearer. I’m not interested.”
“Dakota,” he said, earnestly this time.
I stopped and turned again to see a different expression on his face. His eyes were big, and even though they had a creepy orange glow to them, his pathetic body language made me think of a hungry stray dog.
“What?”
“Listen… I don’t got a place to sleep tonight, and I was wondering…”
“Fuck. No.”
With his tail tucked between his legs, he got down on his knees, looking up at me with even sadder eyes.
“I’ll do anything, and it don’t got to be sexual. What do you want? Breakfast in bed? Want me to do some housework? Rub yer feet?”
Nothing about this felt good, but he was just going to keep following me. Even if I refused, he’d probably pester me all the way home. It was one night, and the guy did seem friendly. There was a weird cuteness to his face when he wasn’t being a complete troll.
I let out a heavy breath, knowing I was probably going to regret this decision. “Your dirty ass sleeps on the floor—after I put some towels down so you don’t ruin the carpet. Werewolves aren’t allowed in my apartment complex, so if anyone catches you, you’re shit out of luck. Capiche?”
His tail wagged. “You ain’t gotta worry about that. No one’ll even know I’m there.”
“This is going to be a mistake. I just know it.”
“Nah.” There was that shitty grin again. “Tonight’s gonna be fun. Got any booze?”
And with that question, regret came crashing down on my head like a cartoon safe.
I opened the door to my cramped studio apartment, and the werewolf and I walked inside.
“Aw damn. Did you get robbed? Where’s all yer stuff?”
